Saturday's Critters # 556

 Welcome to Saturday's Critters! Hello and Happy Saturday!

 If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!

1. June 11-12th, hubby and I enjoyed an overnight trip to Shenandoah National Park, we like the Skyline Drive, hiking on the Limberlost trail and stopping at all the overlooks and of course the trails at Big Meadows. Below are photos from Shenandoah, birds that were seen and wildflowers and scenic views. 

2. Below are the Eastern Towhee, a Veery and I am guessing the Eastern Wood-Pewee.

I've been using the Merlin Bird Id app on my phone while I am out hiking, below are two screen shots of the birds I could hear while hiking on the Limberlost Trail. 

The Eastern Towhees were heard and seen all along the trail. 

3. The Mountain Laurels were blooming beautifully along the Limberlost Trail.

4. The Mountain Laurel blooms were either white or a pretty pink color. 

5. Our walk on the trail at Big Meadows , we saw some butterflies and lots of wildflowers. 

My first of the year Monarch Butterfly sighting. 

The speed limit on the Skyline Drive is 35MPH  for a reason, the deer and any wildlife can be crossing the road just around one of my many curves. 

One of the many deer we saw during the two days we visited the park. 

6. Birds seen at the Big Meadows were the Song Sparrows and the Field Sparrows and near the parking lot were the Cedar Waxwings. 

7. Stopping at various overlooks at the scenic views of the Appalachian Mountains, the White-tailed Deer , wild Columbine and an Indigo Bunting. 

8. The Limberlost Trail has always been a favorite of mine, below it looks like I captured a young Brown Thrasher, we saw  family of Wild Turkeys close to the parking lot. 

Shenandoah National Park is one of my favorite parks to visit, it is nice to stay overnight and be able to visit later in the day and early in the morning.  I hope you enjoyed the photos. 

I am linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday  I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post.

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Here is my linky:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Saturday's Critters # 504

  Welcome to Saturday's Critters!

Hello and happy Saturday!

 If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!

Still behind sharing outings and photos, back on June 28-29th hubby and I visited the Shenandoah National Park, we were able to stay in one of the Big Meadows Cabins. It is nice to be right in the park early in the morning, It is a great time to see the early birds and lots of deer. 

Prayers for the people and first responders in Maui!

1. Below deer seen from our hike on the Limberlost Trail, Eastern Bluebird were seen at the Big Meadows.  Middle row: Song Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Phoebe, cute fawn. Bottom Row: Eastern Towhee, male and female American Redstart and an Ovenbird with 2 juveniles. 

2.   This deer walked towards us while we were hiking on the Limberlost Trail. 

3. A female Eastern Bluebird  was seen from the Big Meadows trails. 

4.  At a distance we thought the red spots on this plant were berries but a closer looks the red spots were ladybugs. 

5. Adult Ovenbird is feeding one of it's young, I noticed 4-5 of these birds hopping around on the ground looking for food. 

6. The next morning before breakfast at the Big Meadows Lodge we took a short ride on the Skyline Drive. Looking for critters and birds.

Top row is a Cedar Waxwing, a family of deer, two bunnies. Middle row: more deer, Dark-eyed Junco, Hooded Warbler, White-breasted Nuthatch, Scarlet Tanager in tree, Chestnut-sided Warbler, adult Black and White Warbler feeding young and a Scarlet Tanger on the ground.

7.  There was an early morning fog in the park, we were seeing a lot of deer this morning.  

8.  After breakfast and checking out of the lodge we slowly started home with a morning walk on the Limberlost Trail. It is a great trail for seeing the birds. I luck out seeing the Hooded Warbler. 

9.   The Black and White Warbler with it's young. 

10.  The Scarlet Tanager male was on the trail feeding another bird when we got close.

11.  Now we are back on the Skyline Drive heading out the park, we made a stop at an overlook when this Chestnut-sided Warbler starting singing in a nearby tree. 

12. Below are some of the wildflowers we saw in the park along the Skyline Drive and at the Big Meadows. 

13.  The Canadian Wildfires were causing hazy looking skies all the way down to Virginia and the Shenandoah National Park. The moon in the bottom left looked clearer than the sun that was setting. 

I hope you enjoyed our visit to the park, the deer and birds, the skies and wildflowers. 

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Here is my linky:

I am linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday  I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post. 

Our World, My World

 Hello and Happy Monday!

For my post today, I am sharing our day trip to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. We drove on the popular Skyline Drive in the park, from the Front Royal park entrance down to the Big Meadows area. We wanted see to some fall colors and pretty trees, it seems this year is not going to be a good year for colorful trees. Not in this area or at home. Maybe due to the warm weather and or the drought? The colors were spotty, here and there. 

 We did see some pretty red and yellow leaves, the sky was a pretty color blue.

We did see more colorful trees up close, when we took a walk on my favorite Limberlost trail.  There is an apple tree near the parking lot, we saw a large group of horse back riders on the horse trail.

 Me and my shadow, our walk on the Limberlost Trail.  These ferns were pretty.

Some of the yellow colors and trees on the Limberlost trail.

 I like the sunburst and colorful trees on the photo below.

As far as bird sightings, it was too windy. I did hear some Dark-eyed Juncos, Kinglets and we saw a family of Eastern Bluebird at the Big Meadows. 

 It was a windy day, The Eastern Bluebirds were hanging out around this pine tree.

 A view of the colors on the Big Meadows.

The Range View overlook, it was one of our first stops and the last stop on the way out of the park.  You can see the view shows mostly green trees on the mountains, the moon looks small but still bright in the sky. 

Please check out and visit the following memes and links. I hope to see you there. 

Thanks to Angie the host of  Mosaic Monday

Thanks to LadyFi  the host of Our World Tuesday!

Thanks for visiting and commenting, have a happy day and a great new week!

Limberlost Trail and Big Meadows @ Shenandoah

Happy Monday everyone!

I am sharing some more images from our last trip to Shenandoah Nat'l Park. On this day we hiked the Hawksbill Trail first and then we went to the Big Meadows and the Limberlost Trail. We did some walking on this day! 

The flowers below were seen all along the Skyline Drive, such a cheery sight to see. 

We saw a few White-tailed deer on the Big Meadows. 

There were some pretty roadside daylilies along the Skyline Drive. 

The Limberlost Trail is one of my favorite, easy flat walking. Usually this trail is great to see the Hooded Warbler, Redstart, Towhee and the Scarlet Tanager seen below bottom right. 

Another bird I saw on the Limberlost trail was this Black and White Warbler. They move along the tree like the Nuthatches. 

Black and White Warbler.

I hope you will visit the following memes and links. I'll see you there. 

Thanks to Angie the host of  Mosaic Monday

Thanks to LadyFi  the host of Our World Tuesday!

Thanks for visiting and commenting, have a happy day and a great new week!

Shenandoah National Park

Happy Thursday, wishing everyone a great day!

On Jun 15th, hubby and I went on a day trip to Shenandoah National Park. These are some photos from along the way and at the park and on the Skyline Drive. We hiked the Limberlost Trail, walked on the Big Meadows and stopped at a few overlooks along the Skyline Drive. 


On the drive to the park I was riding on Rt 340 just outside Berryville Virginia I looked over and saw a Roseate Spoonbill. A rare sighting for Virginia, I had to turn the car around and go back for some photos. Looks like a juvenile Roseate Spoonbill was hanging out on a flooded field with a couple of Mallards. 

 The White tailed deer can be seen along the Skyline Drive, usually early in the morning and later in the evening. Do your two deer, one is a little hidden. I wonder how many bike riders have seen bears along their rides, they could be surprised unexpectedly having a bear pop out on the drive. 

A few Shenandoah Park birds, the top left I am not sure of it's id, the top middle bird is the female Eastern Towhee and top right is the male Eastern Towhee. Bottom left is a Cedar Waxwing, middle bottom row is a Song Sparrow and bottom right is a Blue-headed Vireo. 

Columbine seen along the Skyline Drive.

Skipper on the mountain laurels. 

A couple of sky shots taken at the Big Meadows, Shenandoah.

Some flower on the Big Meadows. 

Black Bear seen along the Skyline Drive in the Northern Section of the park. 

We were first to see this Black Bear along the Skyline Drive. I was glad not to have a line of cars in front or back of me. 

I am thankful for the wildflowers, what a lovely sight. 

I love seeing wildlife, I was thankful to see the Black Bear. 

I am thankful for all your visits and comments. 

Thank you Michelle for hostingHappy Monday, enjoy your day and new week! Thankful Thursday

Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday

Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!